Żyrardów
Żyrardów | |
|---|---|
 Gothic revival church in Żyrardów | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Masovian |
| County | Żyrardów County |
| Gmina | Żyrardów (urban gmina) |
| Established | 1830 |
| Town rights | 1916 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wojciech Jasiński |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.35 km2 (5.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 41,161 |
| • Density | 2,900/km2 (7,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 96-300 |
| Area code | +48 046 |
| Car plates | WZY |
| Website | www |
Żyrardów [ʐɨˈrarduf] is a town in central Poland with 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodship (1975–1998) 45 kilometres (28 miles) west of Warsaw. It is the capital of Żyrardów County. Żyrardów is located on the Pisia Gągolina river.
Education
- Szkoła Mistrzostwa Sportowego w Kolarstwie
- Wyższa Szkoła Rozwoju Lokalnego
- Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stefana Żeromskiego
History
Founded by the Łubienski brothers as a textile factory in 1833. One of directors of the factory was French inventor Philippe de Girard (from Lourmarin). The town developed during the 19th century into a significant textile mill city in Poland. In honour of Girard, Ruda Guzowska was renamed to Żyrardów, a toponym derived of the polonised spelling of Girard's name. On September 13, 1939 Germany captured the town. In 1941 they transported Jews into Warsaw ghetto. The town museum is nowadays located in the former palace of owner of factory K. Dittrich.
A sign near the entrance to the town states that it was the only city in Europe, entirely set up for a factory (jedyna w Europie osada fabryczna).
The town was named one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments (Pomnik historii), as designated January 17, 2012. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland.
Monuments
Most of Żyrardów's monuments are located in the manufacturing's settlement which dates from the 19th and early 20th centuries. It's widely believed that Żyrardów's settlement is the only saved as a whole urbanist complex industrial town from 19th-century in Europe.
Famous people
- Paweł Hulka-Laskowski, a writer, translator and social activist
- Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller (born in Żyrardów on July 3, 1946), started his professional life as electrician in a local textile factory
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Żyrardów is twinned with:
External links
- Official Site of Żyrardów
- A web page of the history of Żyrardów (in Polish)
- Current Population
- Memorial Book of Zyrardow, Amshinov and Viskit
- Jewish Community in Żyrardów on Virtual Shtetl
Seat: Żyrardów (urban gmina) | ||
| Urban-rural gmina |  | |
| Rural gminas | ||